ソラノイロ ー NIPPON

Last weekend a friend invited me to a new restaurant that opened in June of 2015 on Ramen Street in the Yaesu basement near Tokyo Station. Ramen Street has a selection of famous ramen shops from around Japan, so I was excited to check out a restaurant that had a few vegan options. Soranoiro has 3 locations around Tokyo station, and the location inside Ramen Street is the newest shop. The first location, Saranoiro – Japanese soup noodle free style, opened in 2011 and because very popular.

Although the restaurant isn’t totally vegan, they advertise their vegan offerings in many places throughout the restaurant. They had two vegan versions of their Veggie Ramen and even a vegan soft serve ice cream, which I didn’t get to try this time when I ate here. I’m excited to try it next time I’m at the restaurant.

You might have to wait in line at this location, if you go during busy times. You use the ticket vending machine to purchase your ramen and give the ticket to the staff. The inside of the restaurant doesn’t feel like a typical ramen restaurant and seems more like you’re eating inside a restaurant in a trendy area of NYC or LA. I hear the other locations have more of a ramen restaurant feel.

The ramen doesn’t look like a typical ramen either! The bright colors of the vegetables make the ramen look really tasty. The food was good, and I would definitely come back to have it again. You can swap the normal noodles for whole wheat, but I don’t think I’d do this again. The wheat noodles were really just whole wheat pasta, not ramen. It’s a good option for some people though.

I still like T’s Tan Tan in Tokyo Station better, but this is definitely a great option for people who want to try something different. They also have vegan soft serve ice cream, so just that alone is a great reason to come here!

To get the best ramen in the world, you don’t have to travel far. Well… not if you live in Tokyo, Japan. Otherwise, you have to check out T’s TanTan when your in Japan. For this post, I’ll tell you about T’s TanTan in Tokyo station. Their Tokyo Station location is primarily focused on their ramen, although they have a curry and other dishes as well.

T’s TanTan can be found by entering Tokyo Station. You will need to have a ticket or buy one at the JR ticket booth. Once you enter, look for signs for the Keiyo line. Once you see Keiyo street, walk down and T’s will be on your right. Be sure to check out my video at the end of the post. I show you how to find the restaurant and show you their current menu.

T’s TanTan is all vegan and serves great ramen and curries. They also have a variety of sides, like sweet and sour fried chicken. This is a great place to find healthy ramen that doesn’t lack in flavor!

The ramen is priced from 750¥ and 900¥ (about $7.50-$9.00). If you’re really hungry, I suggest the set menu that comes with ramen and a side (price of ramen plus 300¥). Beyond ramen, the Japanese curry they serve is fantastic and I enjoy the fried soy meat as well. Between 7am and 11am they offer specially priced ramen and a Japanese breakfast soup.

On my latest visit, I ordered the Shiro TanTan set and I chose the summer special curry, Matsamon curry. The Shiro TanTan was fantastic. It has some soy meat and wasn’t too spicy. The curry was different than the Japanese curry they also serve. It’s Thai inspired and is a coconut curry. My favorite dish is the regular TanTan Ramen. It’s spicy with soy meat and tastes amazing!

T’s TanTan also has a variety of soup bases and vegan meats. They’re a little more expensive than I would pay in America, but these types of items are more difficult to find in Japan.

Check out my trip to T’s TanTan here:

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Bon has been my favorite restaurant experience of all time. I’ll explain my experience, then let my pictures show you how amazing this place is. I made reservations (they’re required since the food takes a few days to prepare) using my Visa Signature free concierge service, since I don’t speak Japanese (yet!).

The restaurant is located on a side street, that is a little difficult to get to using their directions. Google has the correct address, so be prepared with directions before heading off.

Address: Japan, Tokyo, Taito, Ryusen, １丁目２−１１

The great thing about Bon is that you get your own private room for dinner. The floor has heated mats for comfort as well. The restaurant is traditional so you must take off your shoes upon entry. We were the only customers this night and we had a beautiful room with a view of the garden.

The food was so tasty and was the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life. The food is a type of shojin ryori with Chinese influence. You order your set meal while making your reservation. The owners were dressed in kimonos and really gave us an experience we will never forget. The price of the dinner can be considered expensive for some, but it was well worth the experience!

Traveling to Japan? Scared you won’t be able to find vegan food? Japan is full of convenience stores that have a lot of vegan options. Chances are that your hotel will be within walking distance of a few!

Some of the top chains are:

Lawson

Family Mart

7-Eleven

There are many vegan food items in these convenience stores. Since you probably can’t read Japanese, just look for these foods:

Inari – Sweet Tofu Skin Stuffed with Rice

Natto Sushi – Natto, a Fermented Soybean, found in Sushi or Other Forms

Mochi with Soy Sauce Glaze on Stick – So yummy! Sweet and Savory

French Fries – Found in Mc Donald’s and many Convenience Stores

*Update: Mc Donald’s fries are not even vegetarian. In the US and Japan they use beef flavoring. At most other places they are vegan, like at convenience and grocery stores.

There’s plenty of other things you can find in these convenience stores, like rice, mochi, miso soup, potato chips, tofu, udon, etc. Besides finding some cheap sake and whiskey, these stores have soda, beer, and some very good cold teas.

If you have other suggestions, let me know in the comments and I’ll list them here!

Nasoya has recently come out with a reformulation of their mayonnaise vegan alternative, Nayonaise. I liked the original Nayonaise and was excited to try out the newly formulated version of the product.

The first difference you notice is the packaging. It looks fresh and now includes the word “vegan,” which is good to see. There are two versions: a regular Nayonaise and a new Nayowhipped. So, you’re probably wondering which one should you try.

I choose Nayonaise over Vegenaise due to the calories. Nayowhipped comes in at 40 calories per tbsp compared with 90 calories per tbsp in Vegenaise. This reformulated version of Nayonaise has 5 calories more than it used to have, but isn’t a big difference.

I can definitely taste the different between Nayonaise and Nayowhipped. The taste of Nayowhipped is about the same as it was before but the texture is lighter because it’s whipped. The new Nayonaise has more of a natural flavor whereas the whipped has the same tang that I think Nayonaise is known for. I like both, but I think the new Nayonaise is better.

Another reason I like Nayonaise is that it’s great for salad dressings. I’ve made a few of my own dressings, but Nasoya also has a few salad dressing recipes on their website. One that I’d like to try is the Creamy Italian Dressing, found here: link.

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Overall, I think the product is an improvement and I will continue to buy Nayonaise. I think I’ll go with the original over the whipped.

Nasoya and Vegetarian Times are doing a promotion right now where you can win some nice prizes by telling them about your “vegiversary,” the day you went vegan. Check it out here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/vegiversary/

Let me know if you’ve tried the newly formulated Nayonaise and what you thought about it in the comments!

I’ve been to many Loving Hut Locations, NYC, Paris, and Toronto to name a few, so I was excited to try the Loving Hut in Tokyo. I was unsure what to expect since some Loving Huts are pretty small, like in NYC, or larger and more full service, like in Toronto.

This Loving Hut location is pretty small, so don’t plan on coming here for a romantic dinner. It’s a very clean restaurant that is great for a quick lunch or a cheap dinner. The staff is friendly. I’m pretty sure there was one person there who spoke English and I think it’s cash only. I liked this Loving Hut a lot.

Be careful when trying to go here, since their hours might be difficult to find on their website. They are open for lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Wednesday-Friday and Sunday for dinner from 5pm-9pm.

The restaurant is on the second floor, so make sure you look up when turing the corner. You can see if from the main road.

If you’re lucky, you’ll see their lunch box delivery truck!

Food Review

Lunch box/Bento

I went to Loving Hut on two separate occasions for lunch. The lunch is very affordable and they give great portions. See the pictures above! The lunch boxes are prepared before hand and if you’re interested in eating in, they will heat them up for you. The dinning area is small, so there’s a small chance you might need to wait for a table. We were able to sit both times with no issues. The box contained a seitan or soy based chicken, on both occasions, and some other sides. I was happy to see that the box changed based on the day and what they had available. It was very good!

Dinner

Above are pictures of the menu. I wanted to try everything, but this was my last night in Tokyo so I wasn’t able to try them all!

Loving Hut does not serve alcohol, but there are some good non-alcoholic items on the menu. After seeing the desserts on this menu, I had to try one!

Above is the vegan ramen and was new on Loving Hut menu. I have to admit, I think it was on par or maybe even better than T T Tan’s in Tokyo Station!

Above are pictures of the fish sandwich platter. I liked that it came with a variety of items, but the sandwich was a bit small. There was a small dessert dish that was tofu based and very good. This platter was satisfying, but I loved the ramen much more!

Last, was dessert. This was to die for! I highly recommend the chocolate cheesecake!

I didn’t know Supreme Master had authored books. They’re pretty outdated and sort of funny to read while enjoying lunch.

I’d definitely suggest Loving Hut for both lunch and dinner. I thought the food was satisfying and the service was great. I will definitely be back once I return to Tokyo!

Make sure to check out my other restaurant reviews and subscribe to see my other posts about great vegan food in Japan!

Vegan cheese company, Daiya, has announced on Facebook that their line of vegan cheeses will be growing. They haven’t told customers about their plans but posted the above picture on their timeline. Daiya is sampling at the International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York this week and I had a chance to talk to them to find out what new products they will be releasing. I was told the new product will be a line of vegan pizza, cream cheese, and cheese slices.

Vegans are sure to be pleased at the new lineup of products!

Update: Daiya announces new cheese slices

Update 2: Daiya announces Cream Cheese Style Spreads

Update 3: Daiya Announces Pizzas!

Daiya also said they expect these new products to be in stores sometime this spring. No word on pricing just yet. I can’t wait to try them!

Much has happened since I’ve been away and I hope to cover much of what has happened in the past month with all of you. I had an amazing time in Japan and I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you. Before I do that, I want to cover some thrilling vegan news that’s happened.

Something very exciting, Vaute Couture became the first all-vegan fashion label to show at New York’s Fashion Week! On February 6th Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart took her designs to the runway and has been been the talk of some major news publications since her show. As you know, I own a Vaute Couture coat and love it!

Check out the CNN segment here:

Earth Balance

Earth Balance has been coming out with a variety of new products lately. While I think their vegan butters are great, I don’t tend to use them very often. Earth Balance has set out to make the snack industry more vegan friendly by offering Vegan Aged White Cheddar Puffs, Vegan Buttery Flavored Popcorn, P.B. Popps, and Vegan Aged White Cheddar Popcorn. Now this is a product I can get into! I haven’t seen them in my local store yet, but I can’t wait to try these.

Follow Your Heart

Follow Your Heart, who created the amazing spread, Vegenaise, has also come out with a variety of new products. From diversifying their hit Vegenaise with new spreads like Pesto and Tartar Sauce, to new salad dressings and marinades. I haven’t tried these yet but if they’re anything like Vegenaise, they are sure to please me!

This weekend I went to NYC to celebrate the holidays with my boyfriend. The city was much busier than usually with the streets filled with shoppers and visitors. We had dinner at Candle Cafe’s new west side location. Dinner was fantastic and I plan on writing a blog post soon with photos and my review. So stay tuned!

Yesterday I was grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and I came across a new Trader Joe’s branded vegan mozzarella cheese! The cheese is in shreds and the package says it melts just like real cheese. Looking at the package, the shreds look similar to the Galaxy Nutritional Foods shreds I’ve seen at Whole Foods. The Trader Joe’s shreds cost $3.29, which is a few dollars savings over Daiya, and were found in the refrigerated section near the tofu and vegan meats at my Trader Joe’s. I’ve always been disappointed that Trader Joe’s didn’t have any vegan cheese so this was surprising and very welcomed! I’ll be reviewing the shreds in a later post so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss my review!

While I was shopping I also picked up the Trader Joe’s branded vegan meatballs that I planned on preparing for dinner. I usually make my own meatballs but I was feeling a bit lazy so these came in handy. The meatballs need to be cooked on a skillet so they remain together, otherwise you might end up with a meat sauce instead. These meatballs taste really good and have a taste similar to real meatballs. They are great in pasta and would be good in a sub sandwich as well. The packaging shows them in sandwiches, which I think makes the meatballs look big. I would say they are small to medium in size. They retail for $3.99 and were in the frozen section at my Trader Joe’s. I would definitely recommend these meatballs.

One last note, the non-profit for which I am a board member of is hosting our annual holiday dinner at New Harmony restaurant in Chinatown. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, I would suggest attending this event! This is a great event to attend to meet new people and enjoy a vegan Chinese food buffet. Tickets are $20 and include tax, tip, and a small donation to Peace Advocacy Network, a 501c3 non-profit based in Philadelphia. Beer and wine will be available for an additional donation! The event is Thursday, 12/27 from 7-10pm. You can find out more at the Facebook event page (link) or by going to the PAN webpage (link).

Be sure to subscribe to my blog and let me know if you have any comments on some of the products I’ve mentioned in this post!

Do you have a friend or family member who is vegan that you need to buy a gift for this holiday season? Or, perhaps, you’re vegan and you need some great gift suggestions to buy for friends? This blog post is part of a series of great gift ideas for vegans. My previous Vegan Gift Guide was all about fashion. Today’s is about food. What are some great food items you can buy for that special vegan? Read on!

Wine

Not all wines are vegan. It’s true! Many wines (beer and liquor too!) may contain animal products or are refined using animal products. Though, that doesn’t mean vegans can’t have fun! Frey wine is one of my favorite vegan wines because they do not add any sulfites and are all organic. There are so many other wines that you probably know of that are vegan too.

Vegan truffles, oh my! Pictured above are Allison Gourmet’s truffles, available for sale in a 20 piece gift set for $55. There are so many other chocolates that are vegan and you can find a pretty helpful list over at VegNews (click here). Many dark chocolates are vegan. Just make sure you check the back of the package for any milk ingredients. Some of my favorites are Endangered Species and Chocolove!

Cookbooks

Pictured above are a few of my favorite vegan cookbooks. Both of these cookbooks give great recipes that are sure to impress everybody. Maybe you’ll want to pick one up for yourself!

Restaurants

Another suggestion would be a gift certificate to an area vegan restaurant. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, like me, you’d probably want one to the premier vegan restaurant, Vedge. You can find the best vegan restaurants in your area by searching the HappyCow restaurant database here.